Japan space sustainability event
Intellectual Programs, Regional Events

Club of Japan: Space Sustainability

We are delighted to announce that Mr. Chris Blackerby (MBA ’09), COO of Astroscale, has kindly offered to speak with the Georgetown community in Japan about space sustainability and his long career in the space industry, which includes his former role as NASA Attaché for Asia based in the US Embassy Tokyo. Please find detailed information on the event below as well as the online RSVP form.

Space Sustainability
A Conversation with Chris Blackerby, COO of Astroscale, the “Space Sweepers”

Date: Sunday, July 11
Time: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. JST
Venue: Zoom; a Zoom link will be shared with you following registration

Mr. Blackerby will share his experiences at Astroscale, which looks to create a sustainable space environment and explain why we need to look beyond earth and consider our impact in space. We also hope to cover a broader discussion on space exploration and any advice Mr. Blackerby may have for Georgetown grads and future generations of grads looking to become involved in this exciting new field.

This event is open to GU alum family members interested in the topic as well as prospective and current GU students as this is a topic that we feel is important for future generation.

Please RSVP here and provide your (i) name, (ii) title, (iii) organization, (iv) Georgetown affiliation, (v) phone number and (vi) email address to receive an official invitation and Zoom link to the event. The invitation will be sent to you on July 9th, after registration closes.

The form will close in the evening of Thursday, July 8th (Japan time).

As space will be limited, please note that RSVPs will be considered in the order received. This is expected to be a highly interactive session, and we expect to have plenty of time for Q&As. We will try to get through as many questions as time permits.

A recording of the discussion will not be made available, so please make sure to join the live event.

We hope to see you there. Hoya Saxa!

Kind regards,

Georgetown University Alumni Club of Japan

Chris Blackerby is Group COO at Astroscale. In this role he is involved in strategic planning and global management for the pioneering space debris removal company.

Prior to Astroscale, Chris served as the NASA Attaché for Asia, the senior space policy official in the U.S. Embassy Tokyo, from 2012-2017. In that capacity he identified multiple opportunities for cooperation in the region; served as strategic space advisor to the US Ambassador to Japan and senior US Government officials; acted as an official intermediary between NASA and its partners in Asia in negotiating agreements and resolving disputes; and participated in numerous outreach events highlighting NASA activities.

Chris received a BA in History and Education from the University of Richmond (Va.) in 1995 and an MA in International Relations from the University of Rhode Island in 2002. In 2009 Chris earned an MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.